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May 16th, 2014
GH’s Head Writer Ron Carlivati Interview: The Making Of The Nurses Ball 2014!

Photo Credit: Steven Bergman

This week on General Hospital, the four-episode Nurses Ball 2014 came to its conclusion! There were memorable performances, laughter and antics, and heartbreak and drama all rolled into one. But before we turn the page on the big event, On-Air On-Soaps chatted with GH head writer Ron Carlivati to get his thoughts … after the ball!

While GH viewers anxiously awaited to see what surprises were in store for them, when they sat down in front of a television or computer screen to check out the festivities, what they end up seeing doesn’t necessarily all just fall into place without some hurdles… but sometimes it does! And out of some very creative ideas for some of the characters on the canvas by the writing team, the production is mounted.

In this special interview Ron shares: how the opening number, “Willkommen” came to the minds of the writing team to feature the talents of Kathleen Gati (Liesl Obrecht), how he tried to keep just who former B&B favorite Ronn Moss was playing a secret before this Monday’s episode aired, why the team scripted the Blackie Parrish no-show, the challenges and concerns to tackle the Nurses Ball again after the 50th anniversary event of last year, and the utilizing of the heart-tugging ending song of “You’re Not Alone”. As fans know, the ball finale featured a moment with Patrick (Jason Thompson) and Sabrina’s (Teresa Castillo) friends joining them in a show of support in the NICU after the ball was over as they watched over their little baby boy. So, here we go! Take a very short trip with us back to the episodes of the 2014 Nurses Ball with Ron.

It would be very interesting to be a fly on the writers’ room wall, and listen to how you construct the Nurses Ball! For example, how it came about that Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) would perform “Willkommen? And what is the process you and your team go through to map out the story within the ball and the entertainment portions?

Courtesy/ABC

RON: It was one of those things that you know where you have the Nurses Ball, and you go through your roster and see who knows how to sing or dance, or knows how to perform, and then you want the story to pull it all together. Last year, it was Patrick (Jason Thompson) and Sabrina (Teresa Castillo) that tied it together. This year it was more about the outing of Lucy’s (Lynn Herring) affair with Scott (Kin Shriner) and also Luke (Anthony Geary) being hounded by Ned (Wally Kurth), and all of that. So you take your story stuff, and try to pair it with the music stuff, and think, who’s story are we telling? As for Dr. Obrecht, she is such a polarizing force at the hospital. We thought it would be amazing if she could crash the Nurses Ball, plus we had her sing before and that went over very well with the audience when she sang at the Floating Rib, and on Christmas when she sang in the jail cell. We just thought this woman has to crash the ball!

When Dr. Obrecht performed “Willkommen” and hijacked the ball, it was so unexpected. It was kind of a dark twist to what is usually a sweet and sugary opening tune. Who came up with the brilliant idea for the song?

Courtesy/ABC

RON: I think it was Chris Van Etten and one of our other writers while in the writers’ room who first said that song. It was one of those things were we said, “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if she sang this?” And then you go, “Wait a minute! That’s perfect!” And then you go down the road of … can we get the rights to this song and can we afford it? It builds that way. So I will go to Frank Valentini (executive producer GH) with a song and he will go, “That song costs $50,000!” And then we would go, “Well, how about this song?” It then becomes about which songs are more important, so we put more money towards those. But it often changes as you go along. The thing of it was, once we decided Obrecht would sing “Welcome to the Nurses Ball” instead of “Welcome to the Cabaret”, we thought it absolutely has to be this. It’s one of those moments where you don’t want to get your heart set on something, because if you don’t have that song, the whole ball is ruined! (Laughs) Once you picture it, and imagine it, and it’s so perfect with her accent, and it’s also saying “Welcome”. We just realized it was our dream opening. Luckily Frank and Paul Glass, (GH music director) were able to get the rights. Once we got that one, we were so thrilled, and then we sort of built around it.

Courtesy/ABC

Later in the ball, you had Kathleen Gati as Dr. O, turn around and give a tender rendition of “Always On My Mind”!

RON: That came from another one of my writers Anna Cascio, when we were kicking around another song for Obrecht. Anna said, “What about a song about her children?” I think the first song she threw out was “Always On My Mind” and again it was that perfect! But can we get it? And how much does it cost? That one was so unbelievably touching and what amazed me was the emotion behind it. Kathleen also has to still be putting on that accent. She sang it beautifully, and then as the character having to put on that accent, and still breaking your heart. I loved the scene with Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) and Nathan (Ryan Paevey). I thought Kelly and Ryan played that brilliantly because they don’t want to love this woman. That one took me by surprise. In my mind I knew it would be great, and then when I watched it. Kathleen really broke my heart.

Was there a moment in the process where you questioned, why are we going to tackle the Nurses Ball again this year, when GH just came off the extravaganza of the 50th anniversary and resurrecting the Nurses Ball last year? Did the thought cross your mind of, “How are we going to top ourselves after the big story we told last year that unfolded at the ball?”

Courtesy/ABC

RON: The thing was that there was such an arc last year. It was the return of the Nurses Ball and the coming together of Patrick and Sabrina was the over-arching thing, but we also had some other stories with Mac, Felicia and Frisco, etc. It had such drive, because we were gearing up for it so early, because we were bringing it back to GH after all those years. And this year, we had so much story going on and we dropped in that the Nurses Ball was coming, but we did not have a lot of time to build to it. It didn’t have that big emotional hook of … Will Sabrina be transformed? How will Patrick react when he sees for the first time? So if we are going to do the Nurses Ball again, we needed something to hook it on. We started talking about Luke, and the Scotty/Lucy/Kevin story and that coming out. Patrick, Emma (Brooklyn Rae Silzer), and Sabrina were really the heart of the Nurses Ball story last year and now they are at the hospital. How is this going to work? We can’t have Patrick and Sabrina on stage while their child is fighting for his life. Our challenge was in front of us, but then we thought how we can tie in the hospital story to bring it together in the end and have that emotional payoff. So the more you talk about it, you realize it can have powerful moments like last year and some payoffs. And then you think, “Well, who doesn’t want to see Magic Milo again?” (Laughs) In the end, I thought it came together in a big way. But yes, we were concerned if we could match it or top it.

Courtesy/ABC

One of the very cute and surprising performances at the ball was that of Brad (Parry Shen) serenading Lucas (Ryan Carnes) with “Brokenhearted”! I thought Parry did a great job. How did that number come about?

RON: He was really great. I wrote to Parry and I asked him if he sang. And he wrote back, “Well, I sang at my wedding, and I don’t think I embarrassed myself that much.” So I took that as a “yes.” (Laughs) So we had Brad perform. But a lot of the ball was fun and games, and then we hit you with the emotional punch at the end.

You ended the Nurses ball once again with the tune “You’re Not Alone” which last year was sung by Sabrina and Patrick, but this year kicked-off by Epiphany’s solo. Next, you transitioned back to Sabrina and Patrick in 2014 outside the NICU and they sang a refrain of the tune. Were you at all concerned how this would look on camera, so that it had the emotional pull you hoped for?

RON: I was saying it on Twitter and I was being very literal. I could not get through act six without crying. It’s really powerful. We can conceive of the ending and then it gets massaged at the script level, and then the production level. Bill Ludell directed that and he provided some ideas for it. He said, “How do we transition from the stage to Patrick and Sabrina singing in the NICU?” We had talked about a version where they were all in the NICU singing. Bill came up with a beautiful way of doing it where the song is going on, but the ball is actually over and the music continues.

Courtesy/ABC

It was like you’re “We Are the World” hand-holding moment for 2014, which you first utilized at last year’s Nurses Ball finale. There were a few intended hankie moments in there.

RON: There were so many nice moments such as Britt and Nathan giving Dr. Obrecht a ride home. Then having Mac (John J. York) and Kevin (Jon Lindstrom), and Felicia (Kristina Wagner) being there for Lucy. We just thought of the song title and what it means, “You’re not Alone”. Emma’s little hand reaching out to Patrick. That is the moment that gets me. It’s unexpected. I don’t think people saw that coming and that those characters would show up at the end of the ball at the hospital. And that is the thing about the Nurses Ball, you can have Epiphany (Sony Eddy) on one hand smashing a dummy to smithereens and then breaking your heart with a song.

Many fans were a bit up and arms over the killing of Mr. Marbles! It was a bone of contention, that although it was great that Epiphany spoke for the audience at home, and those on the Port Charles canvas attending the Nurses Ball, over how bad Mac’s ventriloquist act really was … some people did not like the choice of Nurse Epiphany Johnson being the “murderer” of Mr. Marbles. (Laughs)

Courtesy/ABC

RON: I will let you in on one little secret: we considered it being a two second moment where Richard Simmons would come in out of the wings, out of nowhere, and take a bat to Mr. Marbles, take a bow and leave. And then it evolved. So since it’s not going to be Richard Simmons, who on our canvas would do that? We even talked about Felicia doing it, but then we thought that was too mean. We thought, who is somebody the audience would love to see do that? We came up with Epiphany. We thought it was also a really fun way to add a little something with her and Milo (Drew Cheetwood). Milo was impressed by what she did! (Laughs)

There was also the edited out scene that ABC.com posted between Epiphany and Milo. You had teased that they were kind of “attracted” to one another?

RON: Yes. Here’s what that was: Epiphany was congratulating Milo on his number, and he was congratulating her on smashing Marbles, and then we had a scene together that would tie it together in the end. With everything going on this was something that got cut. I was glad we could put it online so people could see it. It also teased some type of romantic future for Milo and Epiphany. (Laughs)

Back to the drama of the killing of Mr. Marbles … (Laughs) …. I read that some people were very upset that the writer’s killed Mac’s little friend!

RON: That is so funny! Marbles was so reviled, and I did see a lot of people feeling bad for Mr. Marbles and Mac! I love that people are so invested. If Britt can survive killing baby Ariel, then Epiphany can survive killing Mr. Marbles.

This year, General Hospital had a sponsor for the Nurses Ball, Yoplait Greek! Would the ball have even been possible, if there had not been a sponsor to help offset some of the production costs?

Courtesy/ABC

RON: I think the ball would have happened either way, but by having the sponsor it did open a lot of possibilities for us. When you start talking about the production of the ball, Frank said, “I don’t know how many real songs we are going to be able to pay for.” We have people that can write original songs, but sometimes it’s much more fun when you can hear songs that people know. But it is an expense. One day, Frank called me and said, “Good news. I have a sponsor for the ball which is going to really help us here and it was Yoplait Greek. They were great. They were on the set and really supportive.

Let’s talk about the Blackie Parrish moment that was teased last Friday for this Monday’s episode. What happened there? There was no Blackie … and no Stamos.

RON: The Blackie thing was honestly originally conceived like a little beat within an episode. I did not know it would be in the “On the next General Hospital” promo that would leave people hanging the whole weekend that way. It actually was meant to be a nice nod to Blackie. It wasn’t meant to be any kind of bait and switch. It was just a moment that would throw the ball into chaos for a bit, and to have some fun with the Yogurt, because John Stamos represents another Yogurt company. But the way it timed out being on the promo on Friday, people were getting their hopes up where you would see John.

Over the past weekend, people were thinking since it’s probably was not going to be John Stamos returning as Blackie, and that you had recast Blackie with Ronn Moss!

Courtesy/ABC

RON: That was the other thing, that again, I did not want that to misdirect people. It was such a big moment when Spencer (Nicolas Bechtel) got Player to perform that I think in a way it helped that people got confused. I didn’t want people to guess Ronn was playing himself and singing, “Baby, Come Back!” I think if it had come out that Ronn was playing himself, it would have spoiled the moment a little bit with Spencer’s surprise. I was happy letting people think Ronn was playing Blackie.

When Lucy revealed that Blackie was a no-show at the Nurses Ball, was that meant to be a dig on John Stamos, given the difference of opinions expressed over last years attempt to have John appear as part of the 50th anniversary celebration?

RON: John has his version of what happened, and I have mine. As I have said before, the door is always open if he would like to appear and we meant it. The Blackie mention was meant to be nice moment for Lucy saying, “Blackie couldn’t be here, but the door is always open. We love him here in Port Charles.” And that is absolutely true, and if it would ever work out that John would decide to reprise Blackie, we would love to do it.

Courtesy/ABC

Last year, honoring Robin Scorpio Drake (Kimberly McCullough) was a major focus of the ball. Some fans felt she was not mentioned enough with her association with the ball this year, and some also felt that there was not enough emphasis on the cause of HIV/AIDS awareness. But I might add in real life when a person attends a fundraiser for a cause, there are usually tons of performances, laughter, and good times too!

RON: Last year, we made the intention of the ball to be about Robin who was presumed dead and made her an integral part of the ball. Right now, with her being alive and off camera, it was difficult to make Robin part of the ball, and that was compounded by the fact that Patrick was not at the ball this year, either. However, Robin’s contribution was acknowledged during the ball. Lucy’s opening speech is all about the purpose of the event which is to raise money for HIV/AIDS research, and she went into some details on new breakthroughs and advancements.

Nicolas Bechtel as Spencer Cassadine is a true find! Are those clever and hilarious one-liner of his written by you? There were several during the Nurses Ball episodes.

Courtesy/ABC

RON: I mean, we all write together. I think all the writers have fallen in love with Spencer, but some of the lines are mine, but it’s my whole team. Nicolas, the little boy, is so adorable and funny that once we saw him, we ran with it. I never knew we were going to take the Spencer thing this far, but once we saw this kid could do all of this stuff, we couldn’t resist.

When did you know that Nicolas could handle anything you could throw at him?

RON: I think from the first day he was on and he showed up with that little voice. He was with Leslie (Denise Alexander) and Spencer said, “Did we supwise you?” (Laughs) It wasn’t until we had this little Chubacabra story, and the little love triangle develop that it really took off. I just love writing for those kids and they are so cute. Spencer has some of the crazier lines, but the little boy playing Cameron, Michael Leone, is doing such a fine job of playing the other side of it, and Emma is so adorable, obviously. We are just having some fun with the soap opera trope of playing a little love triangle with these kids. Contrary to what some of the fans think; we are well aware that all 8 and 9-year-olds don’t behave this way. I would argue that a lot of people in are audiences don’t want to see what normal 8-year-olds do. (Laughs) This is meant to be fun and lighthearted. No one is taking this love triangle all that seriously. It is a little take on what the adults are doing and they are the next generation of this show.

I had to laugh at the scene when Nikolas and Spencer where sitting at Wyndemere eating pizza and watching the ball on TV. Tyler Christopher’s (Nikolas) reactions to the antics of Spencer are priceless. They make a great father/son duo.

Courtesy/ABC

RON: They are great together especially when Nikolas seems mildly annoyed with Spencer. They are very sweet together, but you definitely get where Spencer comes from.

Ronn Moss performing with his band Player was one of the highlights of the Nurses Ball. How did it come to pass that you tied this all together via Spencer who would get Player to perform “Baby Come Back”?

RON: We were thinking … here is Spencer who has to do something to try to win Emma back. And then somebody said, “Baby Come Back!” And we thought, and on top of it, there is a soap star in the band! How can we not to that? So Frank got in touch with Ronn Moss to see if Player would be open to doing it. I do know that they tour and it might be out of the realm of possibility that he might not do this. Ronn was so great. One of my favorite lines of the Nurses Ball is when Spencer says to Emma “I had to do something bold and beautiful!”

And as for Tony Geary … his performance of “I Am What I Am” was creepy and haunting. There were even some minor chords in it, different than the original version. It really seemed to fit for Luke, or Fluke, or whoever this is! (Laughs)

RON: That was great! The version of the song that I have seen Tony do was in drag at the Broadway Cares event. I suggested the song for the Nurses Ball. Frank was like, “Yeah, but that is when he was in drag and it’s from La Cage aux Folles, and it’s about somebody coming out!” I said, “What ifwe do a different version and it’s darker, and almost like Luke is lording over Port Charles like, “You have no idea who I am!” So that is why I thought it would be such a great song, and I know Tony sings it so beautifully.

Courtesy/ABC

Some fans seemed to comment on the lack of the veteran performers who were not performing at the ball, and that often it was the younger set. However, the truth is many of the veterans don’t sing and dance.

RON: You don’t know what arm twisting Frank had to do to get Jane Elliot (Tracy) up there last year. (Laughs) We want to showcase everybody, but it is tricky. I know we have found ways in the past where this one just gets up and reads a poem, or they do their stand-up comedy, and yes, we have to be creative in those ways, but really you want to see people sing and dance. Anna (Finola Hughes) and Duke (Ian Buchanan) did a wonderful tango the other year and we did a riff on that this year with Emma and Cameron.

When all was said and done and you watched it back, what were your favorite moments of the Nurses Ball 2014?

RON: The opener and the ending. I think the opening was a great way to start it and the ending broke my heart.

Courtesy/ABC

Did you fly in to Los Angeles to watch the taping of the Nurses Ball to see how your vision was coming together?

RON: No. Frank wanted me to come in to watch the taping, but I stayed in New York. It was so exciting last year to watch it like a fan. Us writers poured champagne and watched it in front of the TV together and in a way, I didn’t want to see it ahead of time. We watched this year’s all together and I was very excited. I was like a fan going “Oh, my God! One more hour till the show starts!”

So, what did you think of some of the insights provided by GH head scribe, Ron Carlivati on the crafting of the Nurses Ball? What were your favorite moments? And come back next week to On-Air On-Soaps for part two of our interview with Ron where he chats on some of the current storylines, and previews may be ahead for some of your favorite characters!

Really I thought the ending with Patrick/Sabrina should have never been there, actually neither one of these had anything to do with the original story so why was it necessary to add them. I enjoyed the ball and most of the acts. Always there will be things I don’t like but overall it was good.

Many of us were crying along with Ron Carlivati, apparently (and judging from those I was tweeting with during the ball). I thought it was executed very well, I got sucked into Kevin and Lucy’s heartbreak. The acting was/is top notch, and some of the newer characters (like Brad and Ava and Julian) feel like they’ve been there for years. It carried story so well it didn’t feel like it was plunked into the script on a life raft. Best ensemble in daytime and I hope we have 2015 Ball.

I cry when I watch GH because of what it has become. The Ball this year was a mess. The talent was so lacking; all the lip syncing and auto-tune . A real talent like Sonya Eddy isn’t even given a real slot, she has the likes of Sabrina and Patrick jump on her performance in a recycled song from last year. And what a nice touch to have Anna and Duke come to support them. We get it, Robin sucks and Sabrina is so great that Robin’s entire family is there for her.

But what wasn’t recycled from last year? The red carpet was cheesy and silly, not in a good way. The male strippers were cringe worthy. Last year it was funny because of Milo’s stripping at Jakes and having guys like Max and Spinelli up there. This year it was just some gratuitous fantasy of TPTB as evidenced by all the crude tweets.

And of course the main attraction of the ball was the evil Dr. who kidnapped the beloved HIV positive character who has since been destroyed by these writers. Ron thinks her singing to her children was touching? It’s sad that he really doesn’t get that people don’t buy it. It’s sad that someone who writes a serial drama has no clue about the human condition and what people can and will respond to on an emotional level.

The Nurses ball used to have so much heart along with some laughs. But of course this team isn’t capable of scoring on that level. All they are capable of is camp and amusing themselves like children. It’s very sad that a once great show and its history is in the hands of such unskilled people. That’s why I cry.

I always have loved and will continue to love the Nurse’s Ball. It’s a staple in the history of General Hospital. With that being said, the excitement and humor was dampened with Lucy and Kevin’s marriage being dismantled, and the on-slaught of the recurring and new characters that many of us do not care about. I could care less about the Brad, Felix, and Lucas storyline. Could care less about anything having to do with Kiki. I did love seeing Felicia, Mac, Lucy, and Kevin, however.

It is unbelievable what a disconnect there is between the show that is in Carlivati’s head, the skill he has to tell a story and what ends up on the screen. He was in tears at the end of the ball. He really thinks that he has told an emotional, heart tugging story about Sabrina and her baby. In almost two years, Sabrina is still a character that many don’t care about, her relationship with Patrick was not/is not believable and therefore who cares about the baby? The whole story disappeared for months and since the car crash and birth, we have barely seen them. Where is the story that would lead to that kind of caring and emotion from the audience? We’ve watched soaps for years. We’ve seen great story telling. We’ve all been invested and cried at times. Does this story of his really do that to anyone but him? This week was 20 years since BJ died. Take a look at those episodes. We cared. We cared about her family and her extended family. It was gut-wrenching. Compare the scenes these people shared; how we were connected to these characters and their relationships. Felicia, Mac, Robin, Bobby, Tony, Maxie, Luke, Laura; everyone involved. GH is such a shell of itself and such a low grade substitute for what the genre is.

Just so many contradictions in this interview. He didn’t mean to mislead people about Stamos and didn’t lnow it would be in the promo? Yet he milked it on twitter all weekend. And I don’t buy how the people performing are selected. It is about his pets. The ball was a campy, silly mess with nasty overtones and he managed to showcase Dr.O and make the end about Sobby.

Why did Dr.O need two songs? John Lindstrom is a trained and fantastic performer. Check out old Nurses Ball performances. Lynn Herring is a pro and lit up the stage every time she performed over the years. Why not give them a song and tie it into their story?

But no, we get two Dr.O performances so he can cram her and her family down our throats and thinks we will care. And yes, Ron, let’s give props to Ryan Paevey for his acting. Very believable Ron, as believable as anything you say.

Elizabeth replied May 18th, 2014 at 6:32 pm

I totally agree with your every word GH50. Honestly I don’t believe anything Carlivati says. His lines about John Stamos and Blackie at the ball simply do not ring true. I would much rather watch old GH clips than what he is putting out currently.

Gosh, I had almost completely opposite reactions to most of the things mentioned. I can’t stand Sabrina and I loathe the “You are not Alone” song. I have an 8 year old and the Spencer storyline is immediate fast-forward. Ridiculous. As a bitter Jack Wagner fan, I was thrilled to see the demise of that annoying puppet. I enjoyed Lucy/Kevin/Scott, Brad, Dr. O.

The “Spencer Story” is disturbing. Not to just me, but to MANY people I’ve talked to. The children are being misused and misrepresented. Inappropriate. Compare what this is about to say, Robin’s story when she was that age. No, just no.

He seems to think he is a Genius. Doesn’t he know that some of what happened at Nurses Ball, we really didn’t care about or were mad about? The Blackie mention was a huge fail for me. He also makes fun of people against Epiphany ‘s outburst of violence on Mr. Marbles.

If the ratings for the first two days of the Nurses ball are any indication, most people weren’t amused. The first day, Thursday May 8, GH had 2,893,000 viewers. The next day, Friday May 9, GH had 2,607,000 viewers. I guess a lot people who tuned in for the first day of the big event didn’t think much of what they saw. just wait for the next week’s ratings, after the Blackie tease.

For the week, GH averaged 2.759,000 viewers. Down again. Not real impressive. Up a few thousand in the younger demos, as were the other soaps, but again, there aren’t enough eyeballs there, and will never be, to sustain the show. If they don’t figure out a way to retain older viewers as well, and get back over the 3,000,000 viewer mark, they are going to be in trouble.

Now I see why I didn’t know many songs, why some were cut, & why so many stars were left out! I would rather have GH on a tight budget with the Nurse’s Ball, than NO GH! I still say team Cartini is brilliant! As for Stamos, his head is getting so big it won’t fit in Port Charles open door! He said himself, he wanted his own front burner story if he came back. He’s not that special to get that over any underused star! I would love to see more Epiphany who never gets the story she deserves, or any vet who deserves it!

Woah, just a minute here little filly. John Stamos was not demanding a front burner storyline. He just took issue with Ron’s idea of him just appearing as a backup drummer for Eddie Maine. Stamos felt, and anyone who is sane would have to agree, that Blackie’s story was never finished. Therefore, to just have Stamos appear as a backup drummer with no storyline, no dialogue, made no sense. Stamos felt that not only the fans deserved better, that his character did too.

To be fair i think we only have John Stamos word that the show only wanted him to come back to play drums.So for all we know maybe there would have been some scenes with Blackie explaining to Frisco that after he got out of prison he got back into the music business.The scenes may have been small ones but it would have been something.However i think the Nurse’s Ball was okay without Blackie in it.Plus whether we like him or not RC wanted to bring the character of Blackie back and that’s more than people can say about past GH writers did.

Tammy Khaos Kreiss replied May 17th, 2014 at 9:26 am

He actually said on Ellen I believe it was, that he wanted a storyline for front burner if he came back. I was a huge Stamos fan but that was not reasonable for the 50th anniversary.

Elizabeth replied May 18th, 2014 at 6:35 pm

It wasn’t Eddie Maine, it was Noah Drake’s alter ego wasn’t it?

andrew hass replied May 17th, 2014 at 6:33 am

I agree.The show didn’t have to ask John Stamos to come back last year but they did.However for whatever reason he turned them down and the show had to move on.Plus if they had given him what he wanted other actors may have wanted the same thing then.I think it’s great that people still remember the character of Blackie after 30 years and want him back on GH but the show has a budget now.Plus i’m wondering how the show would have used Blackie because most of the characters who knew him in the past are gone now.As for this year maybe GH knew if they asked John Stamos to return he would have said no again.GH may want actors who want to be on the show and not ones who want something in order to be on the show.Maybe if John Stamos had agreed to come back for the 50th last year the show might have been willing to talk about longer return down the line.However when they getting ready for the 50th anniversary the show didn’t see any place for Blackie to return full time but could have changed in time.

So it’s Stamos’s word against Carlivati’s? Given than Stamos doesn’t have a reputation for being dishonest while the interview above is replete with lies, half truths and distortions, I think I will take John Stamos’ word for it.

Kim replied May 19th, 2014 at 4:44 am

Perhaps, but did they have to make the character a no-show for a Charity event? Just wrong and petty.

shelledale replied May 19th, 2014 at 8:44 am

Ron did that Blackie move to say look I can do whatever I want to your character and you can’t stop me. I have all the control you have none. It was like a two year old who hits another 2 year old for talking his ball. Ron did it to as a digg at John Stamas. Look John we destroyed your character he cannot even bother to call and cancel to perform at a nurses ball for AIDS a place where most of Blackie friends worked. Blackie was very caring character and would of never did that. I am sure Ron wanted him for nothing last year look what he did to Frisco last year. Look what he done to AJ, the Q’s etc. Even Eddie Maine song this year was disturbing on so many levels. Also the fact that Dr.O represented the ball for the opening number when she is one of the reason and perhaps the reason this time why the Robin who the ball was held for was kidnapped and presumed dead for over a year and i think she is involved with the second time with victor somewhat and how does a psycho killer lunatic get to be chief of staff something is wrong here

andrew hass replied May 19th, 2014 at 11:29 am

As head writer RC does have control over the characters and what they do on the show.If he wanted to he could have Blackie die tomorrow and there’s anyone can do.I do agree that RC maybe shouldn’t have done it but it is getting people talking about the show.Plus even though RC is the head writer i don’t think he has complete control of the show.I don’t think he has the power to stop an actor from been hired or fired.So if Frank Valentini who is the executive producer wanted John Stamos to come back to GH RC probably couldn’t do anything about it.We know how RC feels about John Stamos but i’m wondering how FV feels about him too.it could turn out FV has issues with John Stamos or other actors too but he doesn’t reveal them publicly like RC does.

Wow, how many lies and contradictions can you cram into one interview.

John Stamos confirmed he was not asked back this year so I doubt he feels welcomed to come back anytime.
We did not mean to mis direct people, I was happy letting people believe it was Blackie…which is it?
Ron didn’t mean for the fans to think Blackie was appearing on Monday? He tweeted several times last Friday about Blackie and Ron Moss.
The Mentioning and the teasing of Blackie were as immature and unprofessional as Ron’s tweets last year to John Stamos, so I seriously doubt this was all done in fun.
Robin was the center of the ball last year. Patrick and Sabrina were the heart of the ball last year. So which is it?
Robins contribution was acknowledged during the ball? I don’t even recall her name being mentioned.

The ball was ridiculous and had no heart, the same with last year.This Cartini version is a farce in comparison to the originals. They should have never revived it and left its memory intact.

A kidnapper and attempted murderer of three people and chief of staff of GH being the star of the show.
A weird, not fun, kiddie triangle that is way over the top getting more airtime and substance than a majority of veteran actors.
The highlight was Player and that was it. Otherwise a total train wreck yet again.

Wow, you must be a bitter , negative and mean person. Only mean people criticize my show. All my friends clap and cheer when GH is on in the rec room. Okay, they paw the air and hiss too but that’s good thing as they never do that when watching Y&R or CNN.

I tend to agree with you. The interview seemed like a lot of damage control for OTT stunts that really didn’t play well with the audience.

Not only did they lose focus of the original purpose and heart of the whole Nurses Ball concept but there was a heavy under current of mean spiritedness that was kind of disturbing. I don’t believe for a second that the John Stamos dig was anything other than totally calculated.

I could go on with other things that had a mean spirited undertone (the purposeless red carpet trip, Spencer’s fantasy drawing of he and Emma in a big heart with a bloody Cameron on the ground, the out of place and out of character “I Don’t Care, I Love it” girly number and so on.)

Ron and his team seem to be letting some anger issues creep on screen. They don’t seem to know when to quit.

Shelledale, There’s no button to reply to you directly so hope this works. In the scenes were Nik and Spencer were eating pizza at home Spencer was coloring a picture with him and Emma standing at the top of the castle parapet surrounded by a heart with Cameron laying on the ground bleeding from the head. The implication was obviously that Spencer had pushed him off. I just thought it crossed a line between humorously spoiled, willful kid and disturbed kid

The problem with this writing crew is that they are too enamored of their own creations. Fine have Obrecht sing one number, but two? And yet you’ve got Epiphany Singing one and a half lines. I think John Lindstrom isin a band, doesn’t JohnYork sing? And what about Ric Hearst, I think he plays the guitar.

The whole ball was mean spirited. From the opening number, to stomping on Mr. Marbles, to outing Lucy, to Ron taking his John Stamos feud to air.

And with the exception of Lucy’s opening speech, none of it was about AIDS/HIV.

Yeah, I think having all the professional singers and dancers totally took away from what the ball has always been about. Its one thing to see the cast perform, that is almost totally enjoyable. Who the he11 cares about nameless and unfamiliar people brought on scene to perform?

kiki smith replied May 19th, 2014 at 8:02 pm

And Magic Milo is awful!!!!

Johnny replied May 17th, 2014 at 6:45 am

You are very right about the lies and contradictions. Then at other points he sounds downright delusional. If he was crying at the lame, contrived ending, then he was the only one. And any time he is asked a question about the veterans, he deflects and avoids answering. He talks about Obrecht being his dream opening. He assumes everyone wants to see naked male strippers, two of whom were gay and one of whom was a teenage boy. Some of the things that come out of this man’s mouth truly blow my mind!

Alan, many of us complain about Sonny too! Yes, Epiphany should have killed off Mr. Mumbles instead of Mr Marbles. You get no argument from me on that score at all. You call Dr. O “phenomenal” but don’t you mean the actress and not the character? Because the actress is an incredible singer and stage actress but the character she plays is a sadistic psychopath who has committed unpardonable sins and yet, she is the Chief of Staff. Until Sonny is made the police commissioner, I think there is no comparison.

Levitt replied May 18th, 2014 at 8:01 am

What are you talking about? Sonny has NEVER been the star of the Nurses Ball.

Elizabeth replied May 18th, 2014 at 6:48 pm

Because a gangster is expected to kill. A Chief of Staff at a hospital is not. What is so hard to understand about that?

aria replied May 17th, 2014 at 9:26 pm

and here i thought that GH biggest problem was RC, now we know the entire writing staff is a big o mess. oh hell, theres alot to fix with this show. i truly would love to be a fly on the wall on these writers meetings. who reigns these people in? they’re all over the place, yet none is hitting the bulls eye..

1) the nurses ball gets a C in my book. heres , how to make it better:
well first get rid of the cheesy red carpet. #2 let the nurses ball be about hiv/aids awereness with singing, and dancing and very little interruptions i.e like Dr. O taking over, it looks so fake with the obvious rehearse routine. keep the melodrama outside the event, like backstage, or around the hotel. but not on “live cable tv” again looks cheesy.

2) some stories simply out played themselves to oblivion, i’ve noticed mostly how everyone is trying to guest who fake Fluke is, yet know one is wondering where the’s real Luke’s at? how did Luke get so easily taken advantage off? Luke wasn’t always the most honest person or heroic person in the room, but he was never anyones full, till RC made him this way. So far under RC, luke has been Kidnapped twice by Heather, wtf, when did she become this big threat? crazy yes, but able to outmaneuver Luke? really? it makes me sick.i don’t even want to know who this Fluke is, he’s simply gross and not in a great villain kind of way.

3) although i appreciate new people coming in, there should be a limit, RC has clearly proven he can’t write for a large ensemble even with five episodes a week and 52 weeks with no reruns . ever heard of less is more.

4) let the contract actors have the major storyline and the non contract players be supporting characters in the stories. if you love DR. O so much, why is she still on reoccurring status, yet gets more airtime then someone with a contract? makes no sense! John york is on contract, yet he’s playing supporting character to Lucy and Kevin little storyline. the suppose Nikolas and Liz storyline is now been hijack by albeit adorable cameron emma and spencer. does this make sense?

5) FV, your the showrunner, i know your responsible for the shows budget ect, but don’t give RC full reign, you trust him to much, you need to edit his work/ideas significantly, he’s all over the place, reign him in.

What were you suppose to feel from the entertainment of song and dance..
The production was done very well and preformed awesomely by cast members of GH …
It was fun to see their other talents; singing and dancing for us..

The Ball is singing and dancing to entertain is, a happy time, nothing more than that.
All other happenings were not the of the Ball but occurrences of the night of the Ball..

If you think GH is going downhill then stop watching it but don’t wish it to be cancelled.

aria replied May 17th, 2014 at 9:54 pm

GH has a wonderful cast and interesting characters, with great history. what it lacks is a great writer and visionary. so the answer is not to cancel it or wish it to get cancel, Garyyyyyy, but to find someone who can bring the show together and make it rock! RC and FV have delivered but have gotten of course way to much. listen up, take a breather, reevaluate and fix those little glitches. but gary shame on you for saying GH should or will be cancel, most of us don’t agree on everything, thats normal, some love the current stories, others think some have played out way to long, some like the newbies and others don’t. some of us are frustrated but still hopefully mostly most of us here still love GH, so theres nothing worse then seeing someone post that the show should get cancelled. Its typical, annoying and if you want or feel that way, go post that crap on a Y&r,bb or dool fan site, not on this one.

Patricia replied May 17th, 2014 at 5:34 am

GH is the best soap on TV. If you don’t like it, watch something else.

People have the right to their opinions and the right to watch the show and not like it. A lot of us have watched through thick and thin, and it’s gotten mighty thin lately. We’re loyal to GH, not to the current writing staff who seem to care more about stunts than they do about story.
We don’t have to agree with what we see on screen but no-one has the right to censor someone else’s opinion.
GH doesn’t stink. The writing mostly does. And there is a difference.

GH50 replied May 18th, 2014 at 2:57 pm

People should stop daring those of us who are disappointed in the show to completely tune out. If you think there aren’t enough of us and that the ratings wouldn’t take a significant hit if we did, you are very wrong. I

I’ve been watching less lately, and judging from the ratings the past two months, other’s have as well. If we tune out completely, the show will be in big trouble. From what I see, TPTB have a small window to try and right this ship or they’re going to have big problems.

Elizabeth replied May 19th, 2014 at 9:23 am

Michael Fairman’s comment sections have always been about true feedback from interested fans. If you don’t like what commenters are saying, don’t read and post.

Patricia replied May 20th, 2014 at 2:13 pm

Welll Elizabeth, I guess I also have a right to my opinion.
I don:t get why people watch a show they don’t like. Seems silly. And for all those who criticize the writing , I’m curious as to your own skills at writing scripts. Experience? Anybody?

k/kay replied May 17th, 2014 at 8:08 am

Agree with both of you from the comments on the board you either love it or hate it. RC take note more air time for William DeVry the man is the poster boy for sex appeal! Who knew after he played wimpy Storm Logan on B&B he could throw it out of the ballpark with this character. The kiddie triangle too much sugar in the room TG/Luke please retire the jersey. Also please give Anna her brains back Finola Hughes deserves better.

Well I hated a lot of it and have redundantly said so. But just to prove that I am not a completely negative and bitter person, let me state what I did like–I liked Eddie Maine. I especially liked the brief dialogue which transpired between Traci and Ned in which she tells him she is proud of him. That was a real moment between two characters we know and love and these type of scenes are all too brief and all too rare. I thought Player was good but wish the kiddie triangle hadn’t invaded it and I wish Ron C hadn’t played all his silly reindeer games on Twitter leading some fans to believe that Ron Moss would be playing Blackie. Why involve the fans in his passive-aggressive, sadistic mental games while getting our hopes up that Blackie would appear? Dr. O was great–she is a great talent. However, maybe it’s me, but I cannot get over the fact that she’s a demented, sadistic psychopath.
And K Kay, I agree with you when you say you wish Anna would get her brains back. I wish the same for Alexis and Traci. Maybe Anna is just giving up because the woman who kidnapped and tortured her daughter not only never served prison time, she was made Chief of Staff. And oh, she can’t properly investigate AJ’s death because Franco and Carly ran off with his cell phone. I was trying to think of positive things to say but it was harder than I thought it would be.

ok Mr. Fairman, i’m not one of those fans upset that Mr. Marbles was killed, once again the point is missed. maybe the town and “the audience is supposed to be in on the joke on how horrible Mr. Marbles is, or as your like to call him, mac’s little friend. insert laughter, hahahahaha. My point is, and maybe i’m being melodramatic here, but it was dissappointing seeing everyone laugh at Mac’s expense, not Mr. Marble who appearantly has you laughing every-time you mentioned him. Epiphany, a grown ass women, stormed on stage, like a big bully brat and decided it was ok to humiliate the towns former police chief, we already know Sonny never showed him any respect, and now the good citizens of PC are going to take it out on Mac.?? thats my point, maybe Mac was in on it too, but it wasn’t played out that way. i have a sense of humor, even a dark on, but I was turned off seeing how that played out. Mac really is a good guy, because i would said something not so nice to Epiphany thats for sure. oh and i hate that song, we are not alone, its awful..

Sheer brilliance! Kudos to the ever-talented Ron Carlivati and endless rounds of applause for every single person involved in the creation of the 2014 GH Nurses Ball! Showcasing the phenomenal Kathleen Gati’s talent by having her surreptitiously crash the proceedings was a stroke of genius! Parry Shen’s admirable vocal offering was a pleasant surprise which adds even more seriocomic dimension to Brad’s bumbling meandering manner. While some viewers have been critical of the seemingly helter skelter pacing and continuity of the ball I feel that it was frenzied fun reflective of the delicious absurdities running rampant in the lives of all the characters! Bravo! Thank you for a splendidly cacophonous campfest!

Not a fan of the Nurse’s ball this year, Too many boring numbers. The only ones I truly liked were Kiki and Emma. Too much Dr. O. The opening was a bore. Magic Milo was badly choreographed. Didn’t care for Ronn Moss or that singe no one knew. The Haunted Starlet’s number was awful too

I’m so disappointed in the character of Spencer. No way would Nikolas raised such an obnoxious, disrespectful, brat. And to accommodate this type of spencer you have PRINCE Nikolas gobbling down pizza while sitting on the couch barefoot. Cringe sitting. I was waiting for Nikolas to break out the saxophone. Please end the kiddie triangle and give back the airtime/stories to the adults.

I don’t know how you can say Spence is obnoixious, disrespectful or a brat! Instead I find him lovable, adorable, precocious and hilarious. His facial expressions are priceless…he’s headstrong and yes, tries to get away with much. When Nicolas reels him in he sulks, pouts and tries once again to worm his way out of it. But he’s never disrespectful, he loves his dad and Britt…he wants to protect his Uncle Sonny and Emma…he’s a little prince-in-the-making. He’s NOT CHUCKY! LOL!

I find the little moppet utterly unbearable!!! And the fact that he has more screen time than Jon Lindstrom, Ian Buchanan, and John J. York among others, is a disgrace. But I guess one could credit RC with knowing what he does best: write for petulant children rather than for adults. That is his M.O with the whole show, after all.

for all the viewers… it bites… that our recall… remains… YES! I will adamantly soapbox… just how remiss : writing IS… they can’t take that away from

My love for this genre… IS… will always be a staunch supporter… do I feel taken in by? Yes sir re’ bob… OYE! it smarts… but.. I remain vigilant… because of our memories

i’m soapboxing

my favorite part of the interview… was when MF asked RC.. what were his favorite parts of the “Nurses Ball”

and he said : the beginning and the end. which one would lead… to believe.. just how MUCH Kathleen Gati brings

Yes, I know… : drama unfolded…

Kathleen Gati’ – turn : eclipsed all others… “in my opinion” I am fascinated by her “creature” her brain… she shares her mind… in ever facet of her being

she brings intelligence to her craft. the art of being: theatre, broadway, film, television, reading the phone book

I’m glad they found a “sponsor” : I will acknowledge.. that in my household.. Yoplait is our yogurt of choice… I buy your product… weekly.

the element of surprise.. was in spades…

Dr. O … one heck of a doozy … as a poster’ stated… and I relish… the find of the decade

KEVIN and Lucy : spiraling… Lynn Herring… has always anted up her electric, her fire, her inner turmoil…. as she needs to deserve and fully acknowledge how powerful LOVE magnates

Anthony Geary : gosh! my first thought… is always… don’t you dare mistreat Tracy
with aplomb… I cheer his number… it was : as stated.. a quid pro quo :

“…a favor or advantage granted or expected in return for something.”

I don’t know that I like his storyline… but… this take… heeded AG or FLUKE. I got it

for my sentiment : I’m really looking forward to : the new regime… story for :

Dr. O
Britt
Nathan

with Madeleine
with Nina

JUST, PLEASE, do not… make Kiki… the daughter of Nina. it should be Ellie… now theres an idea that just popped.

Brad : is ethereal… he can do anything… that’s asked… and it rings true… I can see him good friends… with Britt and Nina… sparring with Dr. O.

I hope Brad remains the same… as he’s that good.

———–

the above… is not by choice.. but… kudos to the production… in keeping with their intent… and must adhere to their formula… and the show must go ON

I thought it was abundantly clear… that the hijinx… with : LOL have you ever been recognized for being IN the mile high club… LOL… was clearly a stand alone.. and obvious… what else to do with : thee Franco and Carly show… is tactless… readily submissive… and I don’t what to do with them either…

Franco is formidable… foil… for and with Nina… I hope she just latches on and clings her embodied FULL person on … and wrecks havoc on Carly

I enjoyed the next day after: LOVED Bobbi taking to task Lucy… with Felicia intervening… although… I had hoped.. after a coupla drinks.. they were going to commiserate their pasts and womanhood prevail….

the bar scene… was also entertaining… Jon Lindstrom is REAL… his Kevin.. should fully envelope , and does… his presence in Port Charles.. I really can see him with Tracy… let Luke.. fully appreciate.. that he can be played and that his life partner… is realized and acknowledged… altho… it still smarts… that it’s not Joe Scully, 3rd…so it may as well be time to flesh out Kevin… he’s that good…

if only… RC/FV give Big Mac and Felicia a story… and acknowledge that the audience.. needs a part of the Vet persona… it’s a part of… and we want to be a part of…

Are you referring to Monica? That’s a tough one…. she is probably still grieving and not of a mind to be attending social events. But they certainly could have shown her at home thinking about it or something in that ilk.

Plus we could have seen a quick scene of Monica urging Michael to go to the ball to support a worthy cause and saying she needed time alone to herself or something like that.Plus Monica may have known if she went to the ball people would have asked how she was doing a lot and she may not have wanted to deal with that.Plus the press might have been at the ball and they might have asked her questions about AJ.

I think it was absolutely the best…every act, amazing. Kathleen was great, especially “You were always on my mind” ….i could go on and on, but the end…. i cried my eyes out, and sooooo relived that the baby survived. I heard from someone who said they had an impeccable source who said the baby was going to die….oh i was so happy he survived. If they killed off the baby, i vowed never to watch the show again and 23 others said the same thing. Oh BTW don’t you think he should have a name? Again GREAT JOB DONE BY ALL (actors/writers)

I thought it was wonderful I am like Ron loved the beginning and the ending the most It was priceless Soooooo glad they included Sabrina in it on the last day since her and Emma was the ones who fought so hard to bring it back last year Wonderful Performances from everyone involved

Yeah, lets hope Sonny brings the strippers next year! Who the hell has an Aids benefit with strippers. DUMB! Just dump the aids story line if you want to show off peoples bodies and have “GH has Got Talent” instead?

I watched the Nurses Ball from inception and think that they need to be discontinued.The spirit of community,good will and coming together for a common goal by the PC residents is totally missing now.It has become like a generic variety show with no heart or real drive.

It is a ”variety show” ..
A fun show to raise money..
I’d guess you have never been to an actual fund raiser..
They are entertainment to raise money, nothing more..
I wish all the complainers would go to a real fund raiser, try Las Vegas, and then you will actually know how fun raisers are done and how they entertainment to get your money.. the bigger the show the more the money..
There is a short speech telling to give give give and what you will be giving your to/for..
then the entertainment starts and that is that..
and never forget.. GH is not real, it is entertainment.. The Nurses Ball is not real..
It is simply a good time for all and for us to get to see the actors other talents..
A fun good time.. .. that is all it is ..

suOOOO…i agree with you here…ive been to couple of fundraisers…so what if the dancing and singing is a little off…its a fundraiser and the participants are volunteering for a worthy cause and that is all that really matters…i had a few little problems here and there but in the end i still found it harmless fun!!!

Singing a song to a preemie at a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS was inappropriate to me. If they wanted to tie it to her and her baby then they should of talked about the March of Dimes and their work with families with premature babies. Some of the acts were inappropriate with young children in the room and why couldn’t Patrick take a couple of hours to be at the ball with his daughter while Sabrina sits over the baby if something happened he could have been called to the hospital. There was no reason to bring up the name Blackie Parrish except to be petty and vindictive

Why couldn’t Patrick TAKE OUT A COUPLE OF HOURS??? To attend a Ball? When his baby son’s life is hanging in the balance? When every moment counts and the child could go into respiratory/heart failure in a moment? When Emma who is in perfect health, surrounded by grandparents, other family/friends…and who, even at her young age knows her dad has to be with her baby brother??? If a child knows that…and adult should kinda understand that too…

Yeah Patrick could have showed up at the ball for Emma’s performance but not for the whole ball.However if something had happened to the baby while he was at the ball Patrick might have felt guilty that he wasn’t there for his son.Plus it wasn’t like he was choosing one child over the other.It was just at that moment his son needed him more.Plus maybe Patrick knew if he went to the ball people would be asking him how his son was doing and he didn’t want to deal with that.Plus Patrick may have recorded the ball because it was on TV and then he would watch it later.

Martha…your post was so incomprehensible to me when I reread it that I had to come back and respond again…this time to the first part of your thoughts.

“Singing a song to a preemie at a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS was inappropriate to me. If they wanted to tie it to her and her baby then they should of talked about the March of Dimes and their work with families with premature babies.” Again…Are you KIDDING!!!! The song was about NOT BEING ALONE…particularly people who are ill or frightened or worried or have any type of problem. The reason why they drew the song into the scene with Patrick and Sabrina was beyond fitting and tugged at the heartstrings. First, Patrick and Sabrina sing it to their child…and perhaps for each other as well…and then for those who gather around them during their hardship. I can’t imagine pulling apart a song so touching and to say they should sing it only for this…find another song to fit that.

This is the second time you’ve made me shake my head. Getting a headache…

ron is a very hands on writer & many actors have said he is right there on the floor during taping so i do not believe for one minuet that he wasn’t aware of the timing that the blackie parrish announcement was being done – he knew fans would be wishing their weekend away & couldn’t wait for monday to see blackie parriah…….that was so cruel!
lucy always ends up in her under ware every year which is a comedy scene for the ball but having her in her under ware making out with scott was not funny at all & had no place on center stage at the nurses ball……………..jmo

I thought Frank Valentini who is the executive producer who the actors have said is on the floor during taping and they like that he is because it keeps them on their toes having the boss on set.As for Ron Carlivai i think he lives mostly on the east coast but i could be wrong about that.Plus i don’t think head writers are on set that often and as RC pointed out he has other writers working with him and one of them might be on set if a problem arises.

In my opinion, it is SO clear that he just not have a CLUE as to who the GH viewers really are. He’s writing for a DIFFERENT audience and has been from the start and it shows every single day.

I found nothing about the Nurse’s Ball that helped me consider the reason for it. It’s not SUPPOSED to be FUNNY, except for maybe 1 mishap. It’s NOT supposed to be filled only with talented people who knew how to sing or dance. It’s not supposed to be ‘tacky’ with strippers or with a little boy who is allowed to continue his interruption of an act. Why didn’t Nicholas just go up there and yank him off the stage? That’s what a responsible parent would have done. I don’t care how much the actor is loved by the writer, these things do NOT happen in real life and like it or not, GH has always been a DRAMA, NOT tongue in cheek, make fun of itself, comedy of errors.

The whole Nurse’s ball left a horrible taste in my mouth. It’s not a high school talent show. It was always a community getting together to help HIV/AIDS research by leaving their comfort zones for a little while.

I liked most of this years nurses ball…it was always silly harmless fun…imo…however, i disagree about Ron’s opinion about the children…8 year olds cant carry an adult storyline about a love triangle..it cannot play out in any way to keep me interested…children being children can be interesting…i watch Britains Coronaton Street and the children here act and talk like real children and are interesting to watch when they are on…how about a love life for Monica…my problem with Epiphany/Mr. Marbles was mainly because it wasnt well acted and directed…having Richard Simmons destroy the puppet wouldve been worse…the show doesnt need two dummies…lol…i wouldve liked it had Epihany simply hid the dummy on Mac who tries to do the act with just his hand but walks off stage and then a smiling Epihany is shown in flashback hiding Mr. Marbles then to her horror she sees Mr. Marbles sitting in the chair next to her and stairing up at her…that wouldve been a lot better imo…Scott shouldve hired Player to perform instead and Lucy realizes he did this for her!!!

No new characters! No new stories! No new ideas! Don’t the GH haters get tired of saying the same things over and over again? Find a show you like and throw your passion into it and help keep it on the air. Use your intense feelings for the soap genre for good.

People who complain about the direction of this show are the exact opposite of haters. They care about what they see onscreen and care about the shallowness of the storylines, the overabundance of newbies, the storylines that disappear for weeks, and the continual camp at the expense of heart and drama. Some folks seem to think that only a lockstep cheering section where people are only allowed to parrot praise is acceptable. It’s not.

No one said that. If you need to make stuff up to support your cause you don’t have a very strong case.

harry replied May 17th, 2014 at 11:43 am

Boes, right! And why must those of us who criticize a soap we have been watching for decades be questioned as to our motive or worse, yet, be told they are negative, hateful and bitter people? Now this comes from the all sweetness and light brigade, The Sabrina subset of viewers. Ironic.
And I don’t buy the love it or leave it mantra either. It’s because we love it that we want to see it do better.

andrew hass replied May 17th, 2014 at 1:14 pm

I have no problem with people complaining or wanting GH to be better because that’s what i want to.However my issue is that people don’t give characters or stories on GH a chance before they start hating it.Plus because GH tapes weeks in advance and the scenes are written even earlier than that by the time we see something onscreen and start criticizing it the show has moved on Plus there’s no way to really poll the GH’s audience to find out which things on the show are liked and not liked.

Alan replied May 17th, 2014 at 7:13 pm

Every time I read the comments about GH all I see is hatin’ — let’s just rehire Phelps and Guza and go back to those “glory” days where every scene was about Saint Sonny and his faithful sidekick Jason the Chosen One and gunfire was the only plot point every week. Heaven forbid, we are served anything different or fun.

I think they should rehire Guza and Labine as co-headwriters… when the two of them were there we had the best stories ever (mid-1990′s)…

(No way should JFP be allowed within 10 miles of ABC daytime.)

trisha replied May 20th, 2014 at 2:45 pm

We did find a show we could throw our passion into. It’s called general hospital. We watched it through generations, with families and characters we knew as well as we knew ourselves. We invested in these characters and families and expected to see their live.s stories continue, because to us they ARE GH. Then a new writer came and decided those families were not good enough and most of those characters were not good enough and he brought in a parade of new characters, sidelined most of our favorites to give lead stories to his new creations. He made GH a comedy often embarking fun of itself and flooded it with mere flashes of faces while still giving the best story to his new creations. Our intense feelings for GH ARE our criticisms because we want it to stay on the air and not become another fatality like OLTL .

Loved the interview and LOVED the Nurses Ball. I thought it was one of the best ever. People who complain about it and scream a never ending diatribe over “Cartini” should jkust turn off their TV and watch something else. GH has evolved over the years – characters come and go – just like in real life. I am enjoying the storylines and give major props to the writers. There are some very funny lines if you listen closely and stop watching with anger. GH is fine entertainment. I’ve been rabid fan for over 35 years . This writing team gives many nods to its history, even if the old characters are not on the canvas at this time. Patience, PC-ers often rise from the dead!

Fun to hear the back story of the Nurse’s Ball. Highly entertaining, especially Lisel’s opening number, Luke’s creepy song and “Player” singing their hit tune. I always knew Epiphany was a bully, but killing Mr. Marbles was HORRIBLE and UNNECESSARY. I love the “Seinfeld” reference, ode to Cramer’s creepy puppet. And my favorite line was Brad’s,”That’s one nutty hospital!” Bill Murray’s line from “Tootsie”. Bravo GH. Brilliant!

Loved the Nurse’s Ball this year and was so happy to see it back again. I was afraid last year would be a one time event to celebrate the show’s anniversary. The final scene was a tear jerker and it was done so well. Great job by the writing team. But, I must say something about the negative comments. I sometimes think, these cannot be true fans of GH. The chat groups I am part of never talk so negative. Perhaps these people have other agendas. Maybe they are just jealous writers from other shows. lol

That was a nice interview with Ron Carlivati and i for one liked the Nurse’s Ball this year.Yeah it could have been better in certain ways but nothing is ever perfect.Plus RC is the head writer at GH but he pointed out he has other writers helping him.So he probably doesn’t write every single scene we see onscreen but as head writer he gets blamed if something goes wrong.Plus i’m fine with Yoplait Yogurt been the sponsor because that might have been the only way that GH could get the extra money.

I truly think Ron C. doesn’t see how his hijinks and camp can be misconstrued by the audience. Like Jennifer Aniston once said about Brad Pitt, he has a sensitivity chip missing there! I don’t believe for one tiny second that the Blackie stuff wasn’t meant as a dig to John Stamos. It was immature and passive-aggressive and not the type of professional behavior one should expect of the show’s headwriter and producer (because FV shouldn’t have let it air).

I did like how the songs chosen integrated with the storylines they were advancing. I thought that was done very well, and for the most part I really liked the performances (although some were overly auto-tuned). I could have done without hearing that “You’re Not Alone” song again, as it is very treacly and is really not a good song – although Sonya Eddy sang it beautifully.

I’m just one of the fans who felt the focus on HIV/AIDS awareness was minimal and could have been stronger. Yes, there was the opening statement by Lucy which didn’t really say much, Dr. Obrecht’s mention of Robin’s research, and AMFAR’s name was said about 3 times. But they missed an opportunity to do so much more. They missed the opportunity to show the show can still, as in its past, do GOOD as well as entertain. If they didn’t want to appear to focus too much dialogue to the cause during the show because of advancing storylines, how about at the end of each segment displaying facts or myths about HIV/AIDS along with the website for AMFAR so viewers can learn something? People are becoming complacent about this disease with the advances in medicines to manage it, and that complacency only helps in spreading the disease. They also could have aired a 20 to 30 second segment at the end of the beginning show and ending show about HIV/AIDS and AMFAR. This wouldn’t have cost too much (especially since they had the TBC screens after each show to the next instead) and would have shown that the writers and producers remembered the cause as well.

Okay Britt torching Emma’s doll was an accident and that is what made it funny. She was trying so hard to be nice to this little girl and in all went up in smoke– so the doll burning was a metaphor for all of Britt’s schemes going up in flames. It was brilliant— reminding me of the poor coyote in the roadrunner cartoons. Epiphany stomping of Mr. Marbles was not ironic or clever, just mean spirited and that is why as gag, for me it did not work.

As for Yoplait Greek– I don’t mind sponsors, the signage in the background, Lucy mentioning it, even seeing characters eat it, but what I hate is when the product is written into the characters like, this year Maxie and Nathan during the ball and earlier in during the dress rehearsals when characters were going on how good it was. For me, when characters literally pitch the product in course of conversation, the show itself becomes an ad– and I find that disgusting. Someone should have the creative balls to say we will not allow our characters pitch yogurt or whatever directly– we will not write into the script. Alas no one over at GH has any artistic integrity–selling their creative souls — I rather see a pare down NB then see beloved characters turned into commercials.

I loved it, I just wish you would have let the head nurse , finish singing her song your not alone any more. glad avas gone, and this luke thing is stupid , I think its Jonny sagara , and luke will be where all the other so called dead are,, dumb,, I do change my channel when luke comes on,, I am a fan , butt your story has gone to grap,

I did not enjoy seeing Dr. O (last year it was Sabrina’s coming out ball!) take center stage or sing two songs. Epiphany and the nurses opening the ball would have been a better choice.

I suggest the writers take the time to watch a few clips from previous Nurses balls and see why they were so popular, and, yes, we all know the GH budget is tight. However, IF this show can offer Donna Mills and Michelle Stafford contracts, and not bring back Genie Francis who was VERY instrumental in keeping GH on the air in the first place! ..they can surely fund the nurses ball.

Although the actress who plays Obrecht is a good singer, I was offended that Obrecht had such a big part in the ball. It was creepy having her sing Willkomen. Wasn’t that song used by the Nazis in Cabaret? I’m not sure, but it was very creepy. I did not enjoy having fake Luke as a part of the ball, either. Who would have asked Luke to be a part? Just about everyone except Tracey is mad at him right now. Even if Lucy has been too occupied to notice, why would she have given him that song? I think most viewers are so sick of him and that storyline. I did not like the Lucy/Scott relationship coming out at the Ball, either. It made me feel badly for all involved. I feel the ball should be like a break from the “real world” for those attending. The Blackie thing? It was a big tease- a big bait and switch. There is no way to see it as anything else. And he didn’t know about the previews? Yeah, right. I did like the other acts. I’m so glad the put on the Nurses Ball again. But there are many story lines the viewers are not liking and most were put in our faces at the Nurses Ball.

RC is the head writer but he may not have any say about what is in the previews for the next day’s show.That might have to do on the production side of the show than the writing side.Plus in the past RC has been upset about scenes been cut.So maybe he waits until the episodes air on TV before watching them in their entirety.

You’re right that RC doesn’t have any say in how the preview/ promo bits are cut but the point is that the childish dig at John Stamos should never have been there in the first place.

Stamos is the pitchman for Dannon, the rival brand of the show’s sponsor Yoplait. Obviously Stamos wasn’t going to be there but RC still had to tried to sneak a nasty little dig at Stamos in there. The audience saw right thru the stunt and weren’t amused.

Playing dumb now doesn’t buy Ron any points. His little stunt blew up in his face and deservedly so. Never underestimated the intelligence of the audience.

He needs to keep his personal issues off screen and quit relying on “nudge, nudge, wink , wink” gags as a substitute for solid writing.

andrew hass replied May 17th, 2014 at 2:45 pm

I do agree that RC should keep his personal issues out of his writing but i don’t think it was a dig against John Stamos.RC probably didn’t know that the clip of Lucy introducing Blackie would be in the preview for the following Monday’s episode and that he got dragged into the twitter mess over the weekend.So i’m wondering if the show hadn’t put that clip of Lucy introducing Blackie on the preview and no one knew about it until Monday’s episode would this have become so big of a controversy?Also it’s been a year or so since John Stamos turned down GH invite to return and i don’t know if RC would hold a grudge against him for that long.Jack Wagner on the other hand criticized the show in the press.So RC and/or FV may have a grudge against Jack Wagner more than they would have John Stamos.

Mary SF replied May 17th, 2014 at 2:16 pm

No Cabaret is set in a nightclub in Germany during the rise of the Nazi party, but the songs weren’t for or about the Nazi’s— and the song is supposed to be bit creepy — even in the movie version it was a bit odd and no one has done it better than Joel Grey.

The heart of the NB this year and last were the scenes with Patrick, Sabrina and Emma because they are now the heart of General Hospital! <3 Sabrina is my absolute favorite new break-out star , her beauty and talent shines !

I also think the baby will die because i read somewhere that Patrick and Britt will try to give Sabrina comfort.So if the baby does die then i can see Juan coming to convince Sabrina to go to Puerto Rico for a bit to grieve because she may not be able to do it really in Port Charles.Plus Sabrina isn’t going to leave her baby when he’s fighting for his life.So there’s only possibilities and they are:the baby dies and Sabrina leaves town to grieve or she takes the baby with her and i don’t think Patrick will like that because he will want to be near his son.

Shay replied May 19th, 2014 at 4:43 pm

For the sake of the storyline and to finally set Patrick free from this albatross, I think this scenario would be for the best.

I sort of tuned out after Soap Net went off the air. I don’t care enough to record GH. After reading how Robin left her family to track down a murderous thug and how AJ was murdered by another thug, who is always made into a hero, no matter what regime runs this show, I’ve had it. ABC should have kept its number one show ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Watched the Ball one day; thought it was boring. Didn’t watch any more. Monica wasn’t even included. Every story on GH now is just predictable and all over the place. It’s off my DVR. Have no interest.

After reading that , all I could do was shake my head over it all , this is suppose to be GH’s 2014 Nurses Ball , alot was said by GH’s head writer but from watching the 2014 Nurses Ball their clearly was a huge factor being omitted & that is the cause of the Nurses Ball , the heart/the soul of its cause was not front & center , this was NOT a GH Nurses Ball , this was a variety show , it was like a spin off of Glee , I wish I could pick something from GH’s 2014 Nurses Ball that represented its cause but sadly their was nothing .

I seriously think some of the people that come on here and post negativity in every GH thread are watching some alternate General Hospital. Is there some secret feed of GH that I’m not aware of? Cause I don’t recognize the one that some of the people on here bash non-stop.

I’m not one of those people that blindly defends everything FV and RC do, cause there are some characters and storylines I don’t like. I’ll be the first to admit it. The show isn’t perfect. But man, to listen to some of you, this has to be the worst show on television. That doesn’t resemble in any way the GH that I watch.

Although, I can sympathize with where some of you are coming from. The same frustration and displeasure that you express with the current regime is the same way I felt about the previous regime, Phelps and Guza. The regime that had me “thisclose” to quitting as a fan the show I’ve loyally watched since the early 90s. The regime that had GH “thisclose” to getting cancelled, and not living to see a 50th Anniversary, let alone a 51st Anniversary.

The regime that decimated The Quartermaine Family, and systematically got rid of show icons like Stuart Damon, John Ingle, Jackie Zeman, Brad Maule, Genie Francis, Kristina Wagner, and so on, and so forth, and the same regime that thought killing off a 4 year old boy was a great storyline. That was the regime that tried to ruin GH, not this one!

And while I’m not a fan of everything they do, I will take the FV and RC version of GH over the previous version any day of the week. The show, the writing, everything can be better. But it’s a show that I still look forward to watching every week. There was a time, not all that long ago, when that wasn’t the case.

RC killed off three legacy OLTL characters (Hope, Cole and Victor Lord III) all within six months when he started writing for GH and even tried to kill another legacy character (Matthew Buchanan) while the show was still on ABC, so just like Guza, he will kill any character that he wants at any time. So, it’s not just Guza, writers kill off characters and then turn around to bring them back from the dead only to kill them (AJ) again! It is beyond silly and annoying.

You are right that as you point out that he killed 3 OLTL characters in his first 6 months but how many GH characters did he kill?Also as head writer RC can kill a character as easily as Guza did.However the difference might be RC doesn’t kill a character die unless he has to do it.Since FV and RC took over several actors left the show but as for the characters they played most of them left alive.Plus in some cases because of story a character needed to die.For example when Steve Burton left the show had to “kill” Jason because he wasn’t going to town on his own.As for Sean Kanan he wanted off GH.So in both cases Steve and Sean were not fired by the show.

GH50 replied May 17th, 2014 at 9:22 pm

You may not like some characters and storylines but those two aspects are only the tip of the ice berg. The reason people come on and consistently post negativity is because the writing, production and pacing are consistently horrible no matter what the story focus. Characters are constantly dumbed down and it is just plot point after plot point with no intelligent or coherent way of getting there. Guza and Phelps did bad things. The constant focus on the mob and a handful of characters. But the writing and pacing were not subpar. Stories and characters did not disappear for weeks. Characters were not constantly dumbed down to advance plots. The show wasn’t void of all emotion and drama. The show wasn’t a campy, inexplicable mess. An obnoxious child who only the writers find cute was not put in our faces every day.

Yes the previous regimes killed the Q’s, but what did these jokers do? They brought back AJ only to kill him and they have destroyed Robin. The vets they have brought back are basically bait and window dressing as we get inundated with all these new characters that have very little or no ties to GH history. And the mob is back in full force and dominating.

You have a hard time understanding the constant negativity. Well the show is consistently awful on every level. I am in the same position you found yourself in, almost ready to tune out. As it is, I probably only watch about three days a week and that’s because there isn’t much else on.

I find it hard to understand how anyone can defend anything about the show unless they are a new viewer and never watched GH previously or other top quality soaps that are now gone.

I kind of agree with what you are saying…i used to watch NBCs The Doctors and its no longer with us because of similiar problems GH is having…The Doctors was soooo good in its early days and its medical stories so realistic fans wrote to the show for medical advice…it was that good!!! By the late 70s the ratings fell, vets were dropped and the Dancy family were introduced…these newbies i hated at first but they grew on me and the show seemed to be good again…but like GHs Qs new writers came and killed most of them off and in came campy storylines like a youth serum and a plague linked to the Aldrich family crypt plus an ever changing cast…i stopped watching and so did millions others…the show got cancelled…i even wrote them a suggestion about a plane crash involving its doctors, in their final year, that they loved but said it was too late and that they were leaving the air that December…now if tptb would listen to the majority of us and what we want these shows would be a lot better off…they need to read these posts which i wish they had back when The Doctors was on…as for KG(Dr.O) i like the actress and feel she is talented but wish they make her a villian that is a tad less campy and far less violent…jmo!!!

Dan replied May 18th, 2014 at 2:12 pm

Hey GH50, you are entitled to your opinion just like everyone else. But it’s just that, an opinion. You come on here and try and talk down to people like you’re the almighty authoritarian on all things GH, like you somehow know more than everyone else. Your arguments are no more substantive than anyone else’s. You spout off all this stuff like they’re facts passed down by the lord himself, and they’re not. They are your opinions, just like any other viewer that posts their opinions here.

You talk about the vets being window dressing on the current GH. I just saw a show this past Wed that was 95% devoted to the vets. Lucy, Kevin, Scott, Bobbie, Mac, Felicia, Anna, Duka, and all the fall out from the reveal that Lucy had slept with Scott. I think the vets are used very nicely in their own stories, as well as to augment other stories.

They’re never gonna be featured 4 days a week like the old days, cause that was a different era. And yes, there are vets that FV and RC didn’t use well like Frisco and AJ. But as a whole, I would say that FV and RC use the vets a hell of a lot better than Guza and Phelps did.

The other stuff, talking about the writing, the production, the pacing, all that other stuff, that’s simply a matter of opinion. You have yours that it’s been horrible, and I wholeheartedly disagree with that.

GH50 replied May 19th, 2014 at 11:54 am

You know Dan, seems like my “opinion” really strikes a nerve. Maybe there is a little too much substance and fact contained within.

You talk about substantive arguments, yet you point to one episode, ONE, that featured vets. I also haven’t heard you explain why all that other stuff, the writing and pacing are good.

Shay replied May 19th, 2014 at 4:41 pm

Well put, GH50….I find it very tedious that when posters go to the trouble of spelling out EXACTLY what their problems are with the show in its current form, then we are either called haters, mouthpieces for a previous regime or just complainers, in general. I’m none of the above….just a longtime fan who has been trying in my own small way over the past year to voice my thoughts on what is wrong with the show, and sadly, there has been plenty to point out!!! Unfortunately, no matter how eloquently we try to debate and discuss these issues it remains to be ignored and deplored….so much for viewer feedback.

Double Z replied May 17th, 2014 at 10:44 pm

Those negative Nellies ARE Guza and Phelps, or their minions , swamping Twitter,FB and outlets like these with trash talk. GH is the best it’s been in ages and could be better if the respect for the old guard is kept current and enhanced with more of our “old” characters.

Yes, the negative Nellies must be Guza and Phelps. Yet the supporters who populate social media with positive comments are not a bunch of ABC interns and people connected to the show. Normal everyday people would surely write things like Ron and Frank saved the show and that the show is the best it has been in years.

It’s funny how the negative Nellies as you call them always have substantive arguments about the writing, production, pacing, character treatment; point out inconsistencies and use comparative analysis and the RC/FV supporters can never say much more than it’s great, I love it, Guza sucked, talk about ratings being up when they are actually trending down in the last three months and attack people as haters for not liking what they see on the screen.

But yeah, we are all Guza and Phelps and all you people are legit.

Elizabeth replied May 19th, 2014 at 6:17 pm

You are SO spot on. There is this one person on another board who always talks about how great the show is, how Ron and Frank saved it…. no matter what the thread is about or what comment he is even responding to. I have concluded that he must be an assistant on the set…. (having been hired over from OLTL and having replaced someone else in the role previously).

andrew hass replied May 18th, 2014 at 6:50 am

I agree.Plus i think some people still don’t like it that FV and RC came from OLTL and so no matter what they do now on GH people holds that against them.I also agree with you that GH can be better but i hope no one is expecting it to be 100% perfect.Plus RC and FV despite their flaws have done some good things on GH including bringing back some characters from the past However i think some people just want to concentrate on all the bad things they do and not give them at least some credit for some of the good things they do.

Perhaps, andrew, but a lot of us hadn’t watched OLTL in years and thus, had no preconceived notions about FV and RC. For me, it’s all about what they have done to GH, and most of it isn’t positive in my opinion. While I had no problem with the Llanview Three (either in their original incarnations or recast roles) being brought to Port Charles, I have had issues with the way many of the most beloved legacy characters have been treated at the hands of “Cartini,” and also the spate of insipid newbies that have been introduced in far too rapid succession. For every wonderful introduction of a Dr. O. or Britt, there have been ridiculous additions like Sobby, Felix, Jordan, Taylor, Carlos and Levi. And even those roles that may have been an initially good idea when sprung from the original fabric of the show, i.e., Ava and Julian, have been far too overused at the expense of more established GH regulars. Hence, a lot of us have very legitimate complaints that deal with characters, continuity, and storylines, yet have nothing to do in relation to the OLTL saga and its former showrunners. Their past makes no difference to me….it’s their present and future behavior in regards to GH’s finished product that matters as far as I’m concerned.

janet replied May 20th, 2014 at 8:52 am

Hey Dan. FrankenRons show is same church different pew..The insults to the actors not the characters. Forcing the actors to leave because ,like Guza’s goons having promises broken.And the mob. Three of them now. The kids are a joke. 8 year olds don’t act like this. The hospital is non existent except as a backdrop. The women we all loved is now just another guza keystone cops. I shut Guza’s goons AKA known as GH off for years because of Sonny’s goons. Love in the afternoon. Not on GH. The newbies they pick cannot even act. The show has no continuity, we get bait and switch, and people who have nothing to do with GH. R Moss, WTH was that a Bronx cheer to the Bells because they made SK get so disgusted with his role he left.You call people names and make them act the fool. They will leave nothing will ever make me believe Ron didn’t do that on purpose. Robin is an evul mother because she didn’t return.? Plus the star of the show is now a psychotic nutcase.Keeping people prisoner, and causing her daughter to do awful things. Ron can write whatever he pleases, apparently no one can stifle him, .The ratings are going down, and I am one who has shut it off, and dvr ,read the boards if I decide I would like to watch I do. If not I delete.

People complain when characters have kids and then those kids disappear for years. But, on the other hand, devoting so much air time to this silly Spencer, Emma & Cameron story is a bit ridiculous. Mostly because it is so unbelievable (it also makes me crazy that Cameron & Molly were born about the same time and she is off to college while he is “dating” a 7 year old).

And, I found it stupid that Maxie wasn’t going to attend the ball at all but managed to find her way into a dance routine.

I think RC has talent – I was a HUGE fan of OLTL – but think his ego has exploded and that he needs to tone it down. He might need some anger management to be able to properly address the times fans are not all thrilled with his storyline choices and when actors become disgruntled at the way their characters are written or not written for at all.

I think KG is a tremendous talent but, like the kids, needs to be toned down. It is a mistake to over-showcase a character. People become tired of having the same things front & center all the time. That was the big complaint when GH became the “mob” & Sonny show for such a long time. You might love Snickers but a steady diet is going to make you ill. Same with soap characters…especially when you have a large cast – and growing- like GH has these days.

I agree…well said…i like KG and believe they need to make her less violent…villains, especially if they are regulars, dont need to shoot someone…Dr.O couldve simply been obsessed with baby Ben and tried to leave town…Liz couldve confronted her and was injured during a scuffle…maybe in a fall but not a shooting…imo!

It is nothing short of absurd that Dr. O is COS. Honestly the character is now just another parody that is approaching the cartoon quality of Heather, a once compelling and complex character that now belongs on Saturday mornings just before the Bugs Bunny hour.

I thought the Ball was great this year! I love little Spencer and all the GH kids they are all such great little actors. I thought the ending of the Ball was just beautiful wirh Patrick and Sabrina. I would have loved to see Franco and Carly at the Ball though. I think their little adventure could have wait until after the Ball.

For story reasons Carly and Franco couldn’t be at the ball because Anna knew they had AJ’s phone and she would have questioned them.However it could have been interesting if they had showed up but hid somehow.Then Anna could have caught them and it could have been revealed to everyone that they had AJ’s phone.Then Michael could have wondered why his mom was hiding AJ’s phone.

RC did not Kill..
Hope, Cole, they are missing never found..
Victor Lord III was never dead and returned ..

GH50;

AJ was not brought back to kill him..
He left GH, walked out..
to let him leave/write him out he was shot- that was not originally planed for AJ..

They did not destroyed Robin. She went off to be a hero and save Jason..
Kim/Robin walked out on GH/left `2 times.. I would have killed her off, again ..

((all who by their choice walk out on GH should be killed off lol !!)

To RC blamer’s/haters;

His stories go through a panel, they ALL decide..
It is like an assembly line, actually..
RC does not write for all the characters, the writers do, their words their characters ..
There are many involved, and all agree or not agree on stories..

For kerist sake’s whiners- stop all your bellyaching and being all about me me me I want I need cry babies..
RC & FV have ”’doubled”’ the viewers/numbers.. they are doing well, very well ..
If you don’t like GH tough , GH does not belong to you.. millions love GH !! We are happy!
Now, unhappy peoples, be happy, enjoy GH it is an awesome soap, the best of the best ..

Actually there was a chance Cole wasnt dead…there was a scene where someone was in the woods watching Starr…this couldve been Cole suffering from amnesia but it didnt get played out because of PP lawsuit…i dont see such a big deal…characters get killed off and come back on soaps id i believe Cole was going to be one of them!!!

andrew hass replied May 19th, 2014 at 11:47 am

I also think it was Cole that was watching Starr and Michael and even though we’ll never know i still think when Starr went to LA after Langston called her to come that she found out Cole and Hope were still alive and reunited with them.That’s why she called Michael to tell him she was never coming back to Port Charles.

Elizabeth replied May 19th, 2014 at 6:26 pm

Plus, Sean Kanen said in an interview on this site that he was let go from GH. He had been approached by (Bill Bell?) about joining B&B, but Sean told him that he was under contract to GH. Then, AFTER he was given his walking papers he contacted Bill Bell and told him he would be happy to return as Deke.

I think SK was let go because he is a conservative. I really do. Anyone here doubting that should go to the ABC Happenings page and take a look at the News and Politics tab….

andrew hass replied May 20th, 2014 at 6:48 am

It was reported that Sean Kanan went to TPTB at GH and asked to be let go .So GH’s executive producer Frank Valentini agreed to release him from his contract.So it was a mutual agreement between Sean and GH regarding him leaving.However i keep wondering if Sean didn’t know for sure that B&B would have wanted him back would he still have wanted off GH then?As for GH letting Sean go maybe they didn’t want an actor who was unhappy been on the show and wanted to be somewhere else.

Timmm replied May 19th, 2014 at 6:35 am

Ron and Frank saved GH. I think we all are grateful. However, it seems like they are dismantling the legacy of GH now and trying to create their own soap on the GH sound stage. Thats all.

WOW!! Michael. Tremendous interview with Ron. Seeing how the show evolves is facinating. To create an hour long soap and have everyone love it is truly dificult. But also to have it bashed is not fair. I do respect that everyone is entiteld to their opinions! But when you are a fan, you still wait for the next episode.!

Ron, I love that GH brought back the Nurses Ball but you need to watch the Ball from the 90′s. I dont expect you to bash the Ball you wrote but come on, it was horrible. No one from the Aids community, no one from the cast who stood out and did something completely out of their character, more Magic Mike moments that make the actors look like fools and the audience at the Ball look like juveniles! Speaking of juveniles, the best part of the show was Spencer booking Player. They were great and Ronn Moss who isnt even on the show had the sweetest lines with Spencer! In 2015, be more creative, it doesnt take a lot of money to do that!

Didn’t think much of the strippers. .By the way want to dare us to stop watching .We will . Michael If you don’t want to hear what we really think just say so. I can’t believe you actually think GH has been an improvement this last year.

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General Hospital has released its new winter promo, a very modern and stylized teaser featuring the couples and triangles to watch for that will turn up the heat during the cold months of the new year. Chief among them: Franco/Liz/Griffin, Curtis/Jordan/Andre, Michael and Nelle, Carly and Sonny, Nathan and Maxie, and Dillon and Kiki. Watch the promo below. Let us know who you are rooting for, and most interested in seeing from the love stories featured. Leave a comment »